April 12, 2011. Florida Times-Union.
The economy had been in the tank for some time already when the Rev. Kathryn McLean and her small Westside congregation found themselves overwhelmed by waves of people struggling with foreclosure, unemployment and hunger.
“We had never seen the likes of the number, and the intensity and depth of need coming to our doors almost every day,” said McLean, pastor of Lake Shore Presbyterian Church. “We helped a lot of people – inside and outside the church – and we were exhausted.”
Then Lake Shore learned about ICARE, a coalition of some 30 Jacksonville congregations of differing denominations and faiths that share a belief that religious unity is necessary to right social wrongs in Duval County. So, the church joined in 2010.
People of faith “are called to be one and that means stepping outside our comfort zone and connecting with those who also have that call to heal the community – not just our little corner of the community,” McLean said.
Now she and others involved in ICARE – Interfaith Coalition for Action, Reconciliation and Empowerment – say such groups are likely to grow in size and urgency as government leaders on the local, state and national levels vow massive cuts to social, educational and even public safety budgets.
About 1,800 members of the organization attended its annual Nehemiah Assembly Monday night at Bethel Baptist Institutional Church downtown. They sought commitments from city and state leaders to support programs to reduce crime, help the homeless and boost graduation rates.
The format included officials standing before the audience and answering “yes” or “no” to specific questions. Mayoral candidate Alvin Brown attended. His opponent, Mike Hogan, declined, organizers said.
The ICARE approach harkens to the Social Gospel movement of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, when Protestants sought to apply biblical ethics to societal challenges ranging from alcohol abuse and poverty to health care and crime. The 21st century has turned out to offer its own economic and spiritual challenge for Americans, which will inspire Christians to join forces with other religions and non-religious organizations to render aid, participants say.
“It’s very important to work together because without partnerships we are all trying to do something but in an unorganized manner,” said William Beitz, diocesan director of Catholic Charities for the Jacksonville-based Diocese of St. Augustine.
Avoiding duplication of effort or identifying an unfulfilled service can be addressed by efforts like the Hunger SWAT Team, a group of area social service agencies that cooperate to bring awareness to hunger on the First Coast, Beitz said.
ICARE Co-President Tan Moss said the organization was launched in Jacksonville in 1996 as part of a national movement seeking justice for all segments of society.
On Monday, Brown was pressed on whether he would continue efforts begun under Mayor John Peyton to create a daytime drop-in center where homeless men and women can receive mail, get showers, use computers and seek social and job counseling. Brown agreed to do so.
With spending fights between the White House and Congress, and the Florida Legislature vowing cuts to health and human services, Moss said it will be even more important for congregations to band together to get current and future leaders to commit to such projects.
“I think the main thing that other groups can learn is that there is power in numbers,” Moss said. “It’s through large groups of citizens that we can hold government accountable.”
